Building a Carport

In today's financial climate many more people are deciding not to move house but instead to stay put and make improvements to the existing home such as building a carport. Any alterations that improve the layout or increase the space can give a lot of satisfaction and also increase the value of the home. It can be a great money saver to do this because it saves on real estate fees and taxes involved when moving home. Many existing home owners and potential home buyers would like somewhere to park the car, off the road where it can be protected from the weather. The carport is a good option to add to any house that does not already have a garage. They can add extra storage space for tools and gardening equipment, provide somewhere for the kids to play as well as providing extra security for the car. There are many buidling plans available as well as off the shelf carport kits. Doing some initial research online is a good place to start as many manufacturers, especially of kits, advertise their products. It is possible to get good price comparisons from searching this way also and you will find bargains can be found as they do not have to cover the overheads of having expensive showrooms.

Planning a carport is like any other building project in that it requires careful and thorough planning in order to avoid costly mistakes and to build something that fits its intended use. Proper preparation can pay dividends by avoiding costly mistakes and increasing the chances of keeping to budget. Any failure in this process could mean disaster in terms of cost and producing something that is not fit for purpose. There are a number of factors to consider along the design process.

First of all it is vital to obtain some plans for the carport. It is possible to do these yourself especially if you have any design or building experience. It will probably be quicker though to buy pre-designed architectural plans. These can be obtained for building stores, home improvement depots or even online. There are other options including employing a builder to draw up plans with a view to building the project or buying a pre-fabricated carport kit. Pre-fabricated kits are very cost effective and relatively simple to construct.

When drawing up design plans it is important to consider the uses for the carport. The obvious is a place to store the car under, but many people use them as a place to store tool, and kids toys as well as a sheltered are for children to play under. Determining its use will allow you to consider whether it will need walls to protect it from the elements or whether it can be left open. Enclosing it will increase its security if this is an issue in your area.

The position of it in relation to the house is a worthwhile consideration. They can either be built next to the house or separate from the house. Next to the house has the advantages of being able to share a common wall which will reduce the cost considerably. Often they will have a single sloping roof and are usually known as a lean to carport. A separate building can have a single sloping roof, but more commonly will need a gable roof. They can be made out of traditional shingle or tiles, to match the house or they can be constructed from metal or plastic.

The build material will also affect cost quite considerably. They can be built out of the same materials as the house which, if bricks and mortar, will usually work out to be the most expensive. Cheaper alternatives include wood or metal. Most pre-fabricated kits are made out of metal and are usually cheap and quick to build. They are also very sturdy and withstand environmental factors such as wind and earthquakes very well.

Before embarking on the build itself it is vital to take a look into any local building regulations and apply for any consent needed. This will cost some money and will take time for any consent to come through and so should be added on to any build budget. Some areas do not allow the construction of a carport especially if the community is in a heritage area. If they do, then they may apply strict design constraints on the building to make sure it is in keeping with the local architecture.

These points outline the general steps to take in order to achieve a good outcome from your project. So many time I have seen people rush into these, as well as other builds and find they have spent a lot of money only to find they cannot get planning permission and then get involved in an even more expensive legal wrangle. Alternatively they end up building something that does not really fit the bill in terms of planned use. Following these simple steps will help you build a carport that will provide you with years of satisfaction.

This useful video shows you the steps involved in constructing a steel carport. Many of these come as prefabricated kits and can be assembled with the minimum of skills or tools. For speed and to avoid mistakes I would, however, still use a builder to do the job.